A Mile In His Shoes
by AmariSanshelle
Summary: Harry Potter has to live in secret... To train, of course. Jamie is the only one that can guard his secret. Will things work out?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One – A New Home 

Harry Potter was sleeping in his bedroom of Number Four Privet Drive, dreaming of a perfect life. He dreamt of family, friends, normality, happiness… When he woke abruptly. An owl had disturbed his dreams, tapping at the window impatiently. Completely irritated, he let Hedwig in and took the letter addressed to him. He put on his glasses and read:

_Dear Harry,_

_How is your summer going? I hope it is going well._

_Voldemort, being at large, is no doubt planning something. I have a plan that I hope you will agree to. It is very important – the fate of the world as we know it can depend on your decision. You will not go back to Hogwarts. I wish for you to train in a protected location, getting ready for a final encounter with Voldemort. This must be kept secret – you cannot be found out. You cannot tell anyone. Not even Hermione Granger or Ronald Weasley. I will pick you up as soon as possible, should you accept._

_Sincerely,_

_Albus Dumbledore_

Harry thought about it. Hogwarts had, since he was eleven, been his home. But if Voldemort won the war, there may not be a Hogwarts at all. He also knew he couldn't say no to Dumbledore. He had a responsibility, however much he disliked it, and he had to confront Voldemort at least once more.

He sighed, grabbed a piece of parchment from his desk and a quill and scribbled:

_Of course I will. I'll be ready to go later today if you want to come already._

_Harry_

He sent Hedwig back out after she ate a mouse she hunted and drank some water. He didn't bother going back to sleep – he was wide-awake, even though it was 6:03 am, according to his alarm clock. After a quick bathroom break and a drink of water – tap water, of course – he started gathering his magical possessions.

His books were anywhere and everywhere, his robes in a messy heap on the ground where he hadn't folded them and his birthday cards and cakes were under the loose floorboard beneath his bed. He gathered it all up, finally folding his robes to make them fit, and closed his trunk. It was seven when he finished.

He sighed; he wouldn't be spending his sixth year of school at Hogwarts. He wouldn't see Ron or Hermione for a while. He sat on his bed; thinking about how the only people he would see were Dumbledore and whoever else may train him for a while. He then thought: 'everybody at school will notice I'm gone, why can't I tell Ron and Hermione?'

He didn't know if Dumbledore would come that day, so he didn't get his hopes up. He thought of Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, even Luna… All his friends. He knew it would raise questions if he just didn't go to school. Dumbledore was smart, though, so Harry knew he would find a solution. But that still didn't prevent him from asking questions.

"I'm leaving early this year," he announced at breakfast.

"Good." Uncle Vernon said simply.

"Dumbledore is picking me up as soon as he can."

"The sooner the better."

Harry knew the conversation, if you could call it that, wasn't going anywhere. He finished his stale toast and went back into his bedroom. He jumped when he found Dumbledore standing in his bedroom; Hedwig perched on his shoulder.

"Ready to go, Harry?" He said as if nothing had happened. Appearing in the middle of someone's bedroom was, of course, normal.

"You scared me, sir," Harry admitted, slowing his breathing. He picked up his trunk. "Yes, I'm ready."

"All right, take my arm. We're apparating to your new living quarters, where you will train, and you can get settled."

"Sir, I've been wondering… Why can't I tell Ron and Hermione? I mean, they'll notice if I don't show up at school, won't they?"

"We're going to dinner at a friend's house later – we'll take care of it then. You will see." The old wizard added. "Now, grab on."

Harry took hold of Dumbledore's forearm and all of a sudden felt very odd. He closed his eyes and felt as if he was being squeezed through a small, airtight, rubber tube. It was, at the very least, uncomfortable.

As quick as they started, they stopped. Harry opened his eyes. "Wow" he breathed.

They had landed on a small tropical island. There were palm trees full of coconuts scattered around the white sand of the entire island. It was so small you could see every place sand and water met. On the far side, there was a nice little log cabin. Harry thought the island looked like a rich person's property – it looked like the front yard was huge. But seeing as there wasn't a backyard, it was inevitable.

"The cabin is, obviously, where you will sleep and eat. You will have to bathe in the ocean." Harry looked at him in horror. "It's the best we could find unless you wanted to cook on a fire and sleep outside. Let's explore the little cabin, shall we?"

"Who is going to train me?" Harry asked.

"Miss Ollivander." Dumbledore said, matter-of-factly.

"He has a daughter?" Harry asked, surprised.

"Yes, and she's very talented. She's only seventeen, but she is definitely one of the best one's I could find for the job."

"She's only a year older than me?"

"A little more than a year – she will be eighteen in November. But that is not important! I have to show you around."

Harry walked right into the small living room. There was a comfy little brown couch, a black metal fireplace and a bookcase full of books. He looked through an archway into the kitchen. There was an old oven – one that works on firewood – a table that could fit four, a sink and a small rusty fridge, undoubtedly chilled by magic, hence the lack of plugs.

"The fridge has an unlimited supply of food in it. The pots and pans are in the cupboards." He pointed to the cupboards underneath the sink.

"So I have to cook?"

"Well, you can both cook – it's up to you two."

Harry nodded and headed into a bedroom. "I don't think this is mine…" there was makeup on the dresser, along with several hair accessories. There were pictures and posters of different people – celebrities, what Harry suspected was Miss Ollivander and her friends. He exited that room and went into the other bedroom.

Everything was made of wood. There wasn't much there, though. There was the wood framed bed, the wooden dresser and a wooden desk, complete with wooden chair. There was a mattress, several soft blankets and a chair cushion – the only things that weren't made of wood.

"Where's the bathroom?" Harry asked Dumbledore, who had just entered the room.

"It's on the other side of the other bedroom."

Harry went into the tiny bathroom. There was a toilet and a sink.

"Dumbledore?" a female voice called from the door. Harry finished up and went to meet Ms. Ollivander. She was greeting Dumbledore when Harry walked in.

She didn't look anything like the Ollivander Harry met when he was eleven. She had brown hair with blond highlights and nice blue eyes. She was a little bit shorter than Harry. She was wearing deep purple robes. He thought she was very pretty.

"Hello, Harry. I'm Jessica, nice to meet you." She offered her hand.

"Likewise," Harry managed, shaking her hand.

"I'm going to let you two get acquainted. I need to do a couple things before dinner." Dumbledore left.

"It's a nice little island, isn't it? I love it!" Jessica said.

"It is… I just wish there was a shower," Harry said truthfully. She laughed.

"We'll be spending all our time here, so we might as well like it, right?" she said.

"What will you be teaching me?"

"All sorts of things… rare spells and things… Agility… all that stuff."

"Oh, okay."

"What did Dumbledore mean by 'before dinner'?"

"We're going to his friend's place to eat supper and to take care of me not being at school or something," he answered.

"I'll just put my stuff away – why don't you check out those books?"

She went into her room. Harry hit his head. Why couldn't he think of anything more interesting to say? He sighed and looked through the books. He found a book on Quidditch (his favorite reading subject) and sat on the couch.

"Do you play Quidditch?" Jessica asked, coming out of her room.

"What? Oh, yea, I do – I have a firebolt in my trunk," he said, startled by her sudden appearance.

"A firebolt? Wow! I have a Nimbus Two Thousand, but a firebolt is so much better! How on Earth did you get one of those?"

"My godfather bought it for me," he said, a lump coming into his throat. He still hadn't gotten over Sirius dying the year before.

"Oh… I'm sorry! I didn't mean to bring it up…" she said sincerely.

"So, Jessica, what position do you play?" Harry said, eager to change the subject.

"Call me Jessie. I'm a Chaser. You?"

"I'm a seeker… Jessie." He added. She smiled at him.

"Do you want to play Quidditch? We could play with coconuts or something…" she suggested.

"Sure!"

They threw coconuts around and caught them, raced and had fun trying to imitate national Quidditch players' special moves, having a lot of fun in the process. They only finished when Dumbledore returned. Harry had a quick bath behind a particularly thick bunch of palm trees and went to leave; however much he didn't want to. He was having so much fun! But then he realized disappointedly that this fun wouldn't last through his training.

"Bye Harry! See you later!" Jessie waved.

"Bye!"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two – Long Lost Friends 

After another trip through the invisible rubber tube, Harry found himself in a muggle neighborhood.

"Where are we?" he asked Dumbledore.

"We're at my friend's house, of course!" Dumbledore went up the stone path to the house in front of them, Harry close behind. He knocked on the door. A woman in her late thirties answered the door. Harry could have sworn he'd seen her before.

"Albus! Come in, come in! I see you brought Harry with you, good, good! She'll be so pleased!" the woman exclaimed, ushering them inside. Harry wanted to ask who 'she' was, but didn't bother. He would consider it impolite.

"Where is your daughter?" Dumbledore asked, looking around.

"She's in the bath, she needs to come out soon…" Fall Out Boy could be heard from upstairs.

Harry was being quiet. He was scanning his memories for any sign of this woman. Where had he seen her before?

"Honey! Get out of the bath! Our company's here!"

"Okay, Mom," a girl's voice answered.

"The food's almost finished, why don't you sit down?" they both sat at the dining room table.

"Professor, who is she? She looks familiar…" Harry asked his Headmaster, gesturing toward the woman cooking.

"Her name is Marie. Marie Jones. Do you know her, Harry?" Dumbledore said.

"Jones…" Harry was thinking where he heard that before.

"You took long enough!" Marie said as the girl came down the stairs, hip-hugging jeans and V-neck shirt on. She had nice, long, dirty blond hair that went down to the middle of her chest and hazel eyes. "Hi, Dumbledore and… Harry?!" she said, surprised.

"Jamie!" Harry exclaimed.

"Do you know her?" Dumbledore asked.

"Jamie! I haven't seen you since elementary school!" Harry said. She had been his best friend at school until she moved out in third grade. She was the only one that wasn't intimidated by Dudley.

She sat down in the seat right across from Harry. "I didn't think we'd ever see each other again! This is definitely unexpected!"

"I know! Dumbledore, did you know about this?"

"I didn't know you knew each other… I suppose you know even less that neither of you are muggles, then," Dumbledore said.

"You're a witch?" Harry asked Jamie.

"Oh, yes! I found out that I'm a Metamorphmagus, too! I go to a special school for people with extraordinary powers. Do you go to Hogwarts then?"

"Yup. I wish you'd come to Hogwarts too… Can you actually morph?"

She laughed and made her hair identical to Harry's. "Does this answer your question?"

"About your ability, Miss Jones, I was wondering if you could help us with something." Dumbledore cut in. Harry let out an "ah!" of understanding.

"Sure, what is it?" Jamie said.

"Harry has to do something secret and he won't be able to go to school. We want to keep it secret, of course, so we need someone to take his place. That's where you come in. How thoroughly can you transform?"

"Into Harry?!" she breathed, unbelievingly. "But I don't know anything about how he spends his time, who everyone is, all that!"

"He can teach you, can't you, Harry?" Marie asked.

"I can try…"

"We can start after dinner, then."

They all ate the pork chops, potatoes, corn, peas and mushrooms that were put in front of them. After dinner, they each had a plate with a slice of pie and ice cream. Harry started to talk to Jamie about his life at Hogwarts.

"Well, Hermione and Ron are my best friends. Hermione has brown bushy hair and she's really smart… Ron has red hair and has one sister and five brothers… there are a lot of people at Hogwarts! I can't possibly tell you about everyone!"

"Maybe I could carry around a list of names or something, can you make anything like that?" Jamie asked.

"The Marauder's Map! I have this map that shows all of Hogwarts' grounds and even secret passages… It labels everyone, so you can know all their names."

"That's perfect!"

Harry told Jamie about all of the adventures he's had at school – The Philosopher's Stone, the Chamber of Secrets, Buckbeak, Sirius, Peter Pettigrew, Lupin, the Triwizard Tournament, Fred and George's joke shop and the adventure to the Ministry of Magic a few months before. He told her a little bit about each of the teachers and about some of the people he knew.

"Hermione's really smart, so I'd be really careful around her… Ron – not so much. You could go around him with your hair like it is now and he would think I got extensions or something…" Jamie laughed.

"You had a very exciting life, didn't you?" Jamie said.

"You'd think I'm a magnet for trouble, or something," Harry joked. Jamie laughed more.

"Okay, let me try to look like you now! Stand up!" he obliged. She made herself grow slightly taller, her chest flattened itself, her hair became short, black and messy, her eyes turned green, and her face contorted itself into Harry's.

"I can't make a scar like his, I don't need glasses and my voice can't change." She complained to Dumbledore.

"You can wear glasses without magnifying in them, I can give you a temporary scar and I can change your voice. There aren't any problems." Dumbledore said cheerily.

"I hope I can do this without being too girly! I'd definitely be classed as a pure girly girl!"

"I'm sure you can do it," Harry reassured her.

"Do you change in front of your friends?" she asked, biting her lip.

"No way! I go behind my bed curtains! Why?"

"Because I can't transform into a boy _that _thoroughly," she said.

"So. Are you ready to be Harry?" Marie asked Jamie.

"I think so… Even though I'm not a boy! What do you think, Harry?" Jamie asked Harry. Harry nodded.

"That's good, because it's time for them to go. Goodbye, Albus, Harry!"

"Goodbye, Marie, Jamie," Dumbledore said from the door.

"Bye, Jamie, bye Mrs. Jones," Harry waved goodbye.

"Bye Harry! I'll mail you!!" Jamie said, waving from the doorway when Harry and Dumbledore were walking away.

They wouldn't see each other for a very long time. Harry's things were being sent by floo to the Jones', Harry wasn't allowed to leave the island and nobody was allowed to enter it. The only communication being done would be by Hedwig and Jessie's owl, Mercury.

Dumbledore put many spells on the little island so that nobody could apparate in it, no floo can go through it, and not even a passing boat could see it. Hedwig and Mercury were the only ones able to go through the magic around it.

"I guess it's just going to be me and you for a while…" Harry sighed to Jessie on the island.

"Well, at least we're not completely cut off from the world. We still have the owls!" Jessie reassured him.

"Yea, but it sucks that I can't keep my firebolt!" Harry had had to send the firebolt to Jamie.

"Come on, let's go to sleep. We're starting to train tomorrow."

"Oh, goody," Harry said sarcastically, following Jessie into the cabin.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three – Harry's New Cat 

"Honey! Harry's things are here!" Marie called from the living room.

"I'm coming!" Jamie called from her room upstairs.

Jamie was reading a letter:

_Dear Harry,_

_I'm so glad Hedwig came when she did! Errol's messing up in all his deliveries! Why don't you meet us in Diagon Alley? We're meeting Hermione there and getting all our things tomorrow. Why don't you come? I sent floo powder so you can come yourself. Say it clearly this time!_

_Ron_

Wondering what Ron meant by his last comment, she went downstairs, packet of floo powder in hand. "Mum, I'm going to Diagon Alley tomorrow, okay? I have to meet Ron and Hermione." She said, in Harry's voice. Dumbledore had to change her voice in advance.

"Already? I'm going to miss you so much! Go have a shower and go to bed early tonight, you want to be well rested!"

"Yes, Mum," she sighed.

The next day, Jamie turned into Harry and dressed in his things, took his trunk and got ready to go to Diagon Alley.

"Bye, Mum!"

"Bye… Harry," Marie answered, smiling.

Jamie threw the floo powder into the fire, stepped into the green mass, trunk in hand, and said, "Diagon Alley!"

In a whirl of fire and soot, she stepped out of the fireplace she was now in and found the Leaky Cauldron. "One Butterbeer, please," she ordered at the bar. Tom happily got it for her.

"Back again, eh Mr. Potter?"

"Er… Yep," she said uncertainly. "Have you seen the Weasleys?"

"They've got some rooms upstairs… They haven't come down yet, so you should see them later."

Jamie's heart was hammering against her chest. She was very nervous.

"Harry!" Hermione had just entered the bar.

"Hey, Hermione!" Jamie called. 'I can do this!' she told herself.

"How was your summer?" Hermione asked the person she thought was Harry.

"How good can it be being at the Dursley's?"

"Well at least you didn't get attacked again!"

"That's true…"

"Harry! Hermione!" Ron called them from the stairs, Ginny close behind.

"Hey Ron!" both said.

"Hey Ginny," Hermione said, looking around Ron.

"Hey," the redhead answered.

"How many OWLs did you guys get?" Hermione asked, pulling out her own.

They all read each other's OWL letters, drank each a Butterbeer and went to Gringott's. Jamie said she already withdrew her money, seeing as she already had money given to her from her mother, and the others withdrew their own.

"Let's go to the pet store," Jamie suggested after they bought all their things for school.

"Why do you want to go to the pet store?" Ron asked.

"We don't have anything else to do," Jamie said. In truth, she wanted a cat all her life and she never hesitated to go see them. Her mom was allergic.

"Might as well, I'm going to get Crookshanks some treats," Hermione said. Ginny had gone back to the bar with Mrs. Weasley.

They all went to the pet store. Jamie led them toward the cats.

"You like cats, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"A little bit."

"These are a lot nicer than yours, Hermione! Why couldn't you have gotten a normal cat?" Ron said.

"There's nothing wrong with Crookshanks! Is there, Harry?"

Jamie didn't know whom to agree with. "He's not that bad, but he's still not perfect…"

They both looked at her. "What? I'd rather not take sides!"

"You usually take Ron's side," Hermione said, cocking her eyebrow at her.

"Do you want me to take Ron's side? Do you want me to say 'Your cat's ugly as hell'? Because I can, if you want me to," she retorted. Ron laughed.

Hermione just rolled her eyes and headed for the cat treats. Jamie started to pet the black kitten that was looking at her, meowing. As soon as her hand touch its head, it turned pink. She withdrew her hand quickly, gasping.

"That kitten likes you!" the shop owner said from the counter.

"It's pink!"

"She's magic – she shows her mood like that."

"She? Hmmm…" Jamie was thinking whether or not to buy her. "Ron, do you think I should get her?"

"What? A cat? If you want, Harry, but I'm not taking care of it!"

"I think I will. How much is she?" she asked the owner.

"Seven galleons and three sickles, or five galleons if you can get her to turn purple and can identify why she's purple." He said. He flicked his wand and the cage opened. She was already counting off colors.

Blue-sad. Pink-love. Red-anger. Green-sick. Yellow-happy? Purple? Scared? Dizzy? Surprised? Playful? Sleepy? There were so many possibilities!

Jamie tickled the kitten, which attacked her finger and turned orange. Orange-Playful.

"Ron, what do you think can make her turn purple?"

"I don't know… Hermione! What do you think?"

"Not sure. Maybe if she's surprised or dizzy?"

Jamie shrugged and twirled the kitten around on the counter. She turned turquoise.

"How can we surprise her?" Jamie asked.

"I know! Sir, could I see that puppy?" Hermione asked the shop owner.

Hermione now had a puppy concealed behind her back. She popped it out at the kitten. She turned… PURPLE! Hermione put the puppy back and Jamie took out five galleons.

"She turns purple when she's scared or surprised."

"Exactly! Very good. That's five galleons, thanks. Enjoy your new kitten!"

Jamie went out of the store, new kitten purring and pink.

"I can't believe you bought a cat!" Ron said.

"Why not? You were the one saying Hermione should get a normal cat – now we have one… sort of."

Hermione didn't say anything. She liked the kitten, but she would never have pictured Harry with one.

The next two days, they ran into many DA members. Jamie noticed that a girl named Cho seemed extra friendly toward her. She obviously had her suspicions.

"Do you still like her?" Hermione asked Jamie.

"Cho? Nah…" she really didn't know what to say. Harry hadn't mentioned her at all.

"Who would like her? Crying all the bloody time!" Ron said angrily.

Hermione shook her head. "You're so insensitive sometimes, Ron!"

Jamie had to bite her tongue to not ask what happened. She would definitely write to Harry and ask him about it.

"Wasn't she crying when you two kissed?" Ron asked Jamie.

"I, um, don't really remember… I think so…" Jamie was really worried now. Harry warned her about Hermione being smart, and she was getting a calculating look that didn't reassure her.

They found a compartment on the Hogwarts Express the next day with Luna and Neville. Ron and Hermione left Jamie there, being prefects and all. Jamie felt uncomfortable. She didn't know what to say to them – she was expecting to be with Ron and Hermione all the time.

"Hey Harry," Luna said, peeking over her upside down magazine.

"Hey," she didn't know Luna's name.

"Harry, look what I made for Trevor!" Neville said, pulling out an aquarium with a big toad in it.

"Make sure it doesn't break," she said, not knowing Neville's name either.

They were relatively quiet – Jamie was petting Cleo, her kitten, Neville was adjusting his aquarium and Luna was reading her Quibbler.

"They've been gone a while," Jamie sighed.

"They're always gone this long, Harry," Luna said.

"Do you want to play Exploding Snap or something?" Neville suggested.

"Sure, how do you play?" Jamie asked.

"You've played before, haven't you?" Neville looked at her oddly.

"Well I forgot how to play!" she said angrily. Neville jumped at the sudden outburst. He explained how to play and they were playing their third game when Hermione and Ron came in.

"Being a prefect is a nightmare!" Ron said, sitting down beside Harry.

"Why?"

"We have to organize a Halloween ball. It's not that bad, Ron!" Hermione said. Ron just rolled his eyes.

Jamie didn't like the idea of a ball, disguised as a boy. She looked out the window. She saw a gigantic castle – They were almost at Hogwarts.

"We're almost there – we should change," she said. They all got changed and within ten minutes, they boarded a carriage that Jamie thought horseless.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four – First Days 

Jamie clapped with all the other Gryffindors at the sorting, welcomed their new Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher, Professor Jane Feral, and ate her supper in silence. She didn't want anything else giving her away. After all, she had only been Harry for a couple days.

"Harry, are you okay? You're kind of quiet," said Hermione.

"What?" Jamie jumped. "Oh, yea, I'm a little tired, that's all," she murmured.

"Well then, go to bed early! You don't want to go to class tired tomorrow!" Hermione ordered.

"Okay, Mom, I'm sure Harry can take care of himself," Ron said, reaching for another chicken breast. Hermione glared at him.

"I know you're going to want to stay up, Ronald! If you want to stay up, fine, but I think it's best not to keep Harry up!"

Jamie felt like she was going to burst trying not to laugh. She didn't know any sixteen-year-old girls who were that bossy to her friends. If someone told her they were tired, she might _suggest _going to bed early, but not _order _them to.

After supper, in the common room, Hermione was knitting and Ron and Jamie were playing chess.

"You've gotten a lot better, Harry," Ron said. They were playing the same game for a half hour and Jamie was doing better than Ron was, but they were nowhere near finished.

"Thanks," Jamie said. She had won chess competitions in the past, but she wouldn't tell Ron that. She was sure Harry hadn't. After another half hour of playing, Jamie won the game.

"You beat me!" Ron gasped. "You've never beaten me!"

Jamie smiled. "There's a first time for everything, I suppose."

"Are you two going to bed anytime soon?" Hermione said, coming down from her staircase to get Crookshanks. "I knew you'd keep him up, Ron," she added, glaring.

"I beat Ron at chess," Jamie said proudly.

"That's nice," Hermione said, rolling her eyes and going back upstairs.

"I wasn't concentrating, that's all…" Ron mumbled.

"Sure. I'm going to bed. You coming?" Jamie asked.

"Yea, I guess," Ron replied grumpily.

They went upstairs, Jamie trailing behind on purpose to let Ron lead the way, and got changed behind their curtains and went to bed. Jamie took off Harry's glasses and lay down. She ran her hand through her very short hair miserably. She loved her long hair – this short hair didn't suit her. She sighed to herself and drifted off into sleep.

"Harry! Wake up! We're going to be late!" Ron shook Jamie awake. She wasn't ever a morning person. She groaned, turned over and ignored him.

"Harry!" Ron threw a book at the sleeping figure in Harry's bed.

"Fine! I'm up, jeez!" Jamie exclaimed, rubbing her shoulder where _The Standard Book of Spells Grade 6 _hit her. "What time is it?"

"It's ten to eight! We have ten minutes to get to potions!" Ron yelled.

"Great," she said sarcastically, getting changed behind her curtains. Within two minutes, they were both changed into their robes.

They ran all-out from their dormitory on the seventh floor to the potions classroom in the dungeons. They arrived without a minute to spare. Literally. The bell rang just as the descended the last staircase to the dungeons.

"Where have you two been?" Hermione reprimanded them.

"Harry slept in," Ron blamed.

"I slept in? I was expecting a wake-up call a little earlier, mind you," Jamie said.

"You were obviously up, why didn't you come get us?" Ron turned to Hermione. Jamie supposed he wasn't much of a morning person either.

"As if I knew you weren't up! I did get up rather early to breakfast and I didn't expect you to be up at six thirty. So, I went to eat and I thought you would get up on time. Honestly, can't you take care of yourselves?"

"You got up at six thirty? Are you completely insane?" Jamie exclaimed. Before Hermione had a chance to retort, Professor Snape came in.

"The headmaster has asked me to make certain acceptations in my class. He insisted I kept certain students, even if they hadn't gotten an O in their OWLs." He stared at 'Harry' and Ron.

They both needed Potions to be Aurors, which they wanted to be. Jamie even wanted to be one.

"Now. Instructions are on the board," he flicked his wand toward the blackboard, which now had numbered steps on it, "begin now."

Jamie took her new potions kit from her backpack and started on the potion. Potions was her best subject, but Professor Snape kept looking at her potion as if expecting something wrong with it. There wasn't, of course.

"I wish he'd stop it," she said, after his fifth time observing her potion.

"Well, he hasn't a reason to get rid of your potion – you're doing really well," Hermione said encouragingly.

"Yea, he usually gets rid of it by the second time 'round," Ron sniggered. Jamie laughed. She didn't know Harry was bad at potions.

At the end of the class, Jamie gave in her vial. It 'accidentally' slipped at the end of class to many laughs from the Slytherins. She scowled at the bunch, refilled another vial and reinforced it will a spell. She smirked at Snape and went off.

"Did you see the look on Malfoy's face when you gave in the second vial?" Ron said.

"Who?" Jamie asked without thinking.

"What do you mean 'who'?" Ron asked unbelievingly. Jamie froze.

"I-I-I didn't hear properly, is all," she stuttered.

"I said Malfoy. Did you see Malfoy's face?" Ron said, as if nothing happened.

"Sure," Jamie said, relieved.

"I've never seen you make such a flawless potion, Harry. Nor have I seen you beat Ron at chess, come to think of it," Hermione said.

"It wasn't really a hard potion, nobody messed it up, not that there are many people taking potions, and chess… well I guess I was just lucky. Seriously, it's no big deal!" she raised her voice. "Stop bugging me so much!"

"Harry, sorry I didn't mean to-"

"Save it!" Jamie snarled, walking off to Defense Against the Dark Arts, which was going to begin in five minutes.

She was already getting tired of being a boy. She was one of the flirtiest girls in her school – and one of the most attractive. She was used to comments on how nice she was from boys, she enjoyed flirting and she enjoyed having a boyfriend. She wanted to be a girl again.

She took a seat between the wall and another person, whom she hadn't noticed.

"What are you doing Potter?" she had taken a seat next to Malfoy.

Jamie jumped, knocking her knees on her desk. "S-Sorry," she muttered, taking a seat in front of the empty class instead. She thought him rather attractive. Had she been a girl, she would be flirting. But, when her hand was going up to her hair – one of her flirty moves – she remembered she wasn't herself.

"Who are you?" Jamie asked. Harry hadn't told her how to activate the Marauder's Map yet. She would ask in her first letter.

Malfoy looked at her, eyebrow raised. "Whatever," he said, rolling his eyes.

"No, really, who are you? I don't remember you," she said, trying to make it seem nonchalant. Harry hadn't mentioned him, so she supposed they didn't really know each other.

"Draco!" a girl called. Just then, a gaggle of Slytherins came in. Malfoy just looked away from Jamie. After the Slytherins, Neville, Seamus and Dean came in.

"Hey! Over here, there are a lot of seats here," Jamie called to the three boys. They came over and sat there, side by side. Jamie smiled. She really didn't want to sit beside Ron or Hermione, and this would make sure of that.

"I hope this teacher's better than Umbridge," Seamus said in disgust. "If she isn't, though, you could always start the DA again, eh Harry?"

"Sure," Jamie said, hoping it wouldn't come to that. DADA wasn't her best subject, but she did okay. Ron and Hermione came then and sat directly behind the Gryffindor boys. Jamie sighed. She got up to change seats.

"Take your seats," Professor Feral had just walked in, in synchronization with the bell. Jamie sat down away from everybody and Hermione and Ron sat back down. Jamie smiled to herself.

"I am Professor Feral. I understand that you are a very talented class, so I will not tolerate any nonsense. We will start with dueling, spells and such to incapacitate your opponent. We can start with disarming, stunning and shielding. Can anyone tell me the incantations for those three spells?"

All the Gryffindors raised their hands. They had all been in the DA.

"Yes, Mister…?"

"Weasley, Professor," Ron started, "Expelliarmus, Stupefy and Protego."

"Very good. Five points to Gryffindor. Pair up and practice, please. Go on," Professor Feral said. Jamie went to Neville and offered to be his partner. Ron was then partnered with Hermione.

Jamie was nervous that she might give herself away, being bad at DADA. She had a feeling this would be her longest class.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five – Questions and Confrontations 

"Harry has been acting very strange lately, hasn't he?" Hermione inquired of Ron.

"Yea, I guess," Ron said, "maybe something happened over the summer – he's been quiet mostly."

"Ron, he was smiling during Potions. I think this is much worse than just something over the summer."

"What if he's possessed?" Ron said.

"Don't be ridiculous, Ron," Hermione said. "It's like he's a completely new person…"

Neville was doing much better than Jamie was. He blocked all her attacks effectively and hit her with all his.

"Harry, come on! You're much better than this! It's me, Neville Longbottom, against you, Harry Potter, my teacher, really. Don't go easy because it's me!"

"I'm not going easy on you!" she said frustrated. At least now she knew Neville's name.

Finally, the lunch bell rang. Jamie grabbed all her things and ran as fast as she could to the owlery. She needed to ask who Draco was, how to activate the Marauder's Map and where Dumbledore's office was.

She took out a quill, a bottle of ink and a piece of parchment. She started writing:

_Dear Harry, _

_Are you having fun? I hope you are, because I'm not!  
_

_It's unbelievingly hard for me to be you. Do you know how girly I am? Your friends are suspecting something. I beat Ron at chess and I made a half-decent potion. Are you as bad as Hermione makes you seem?_

_You forgot to tell me how to activate the Marauder's Map! I feel so stupid not knowing anyone's name! Who's 'Draco'? I asked him what his name was – you didn't mention him at all. Are you two friends?_

_Also, where's Dumbledore's office? I know you know, so I don't think I should ask anyone. How do I get there? I need to speak to him. Maybe I could be myself for a little bit. I don't know, but this would all be so much easier if Ron and Hermione knew. They probably will know soon the way I am. I'm getting very stressed, and when I'm stressed I feel like crying, but I can't! It's infuriating!_

_Hoping you're well,_

_Jamie_

She reread her letter and felt satisfied. She was just sending Hedwig off when Ron and Hermione burst in.

"Who are you writing to?" Ron asked.

"Whom, Ron," Hermione corrected.

"What business of yours is it if I'm writing to someone?" Jamie said angrily.

"We're worried about you, Harry!" Hermione said.

"So I can't write a letter without consulting you two, can I? I'll remember that writing letters isn't normal, then." She starting heading towards the door, but Ron stood in her way. She felt trapped. "Move."

"No, I'm not moving, Harry." Ron said.

"There's nothing wrong! I'm fine, okay?" Jamie yelled. She felt threatened and wanted to get away. She didn't like being outnumbered and she was feeling claustrophobic.

"Did something happen over the summer or something?" Ron asked.

"No. I'm FINE!"

"Harry–" Hermione started.

Jamie pulled out her wand and aimed it toward Ron. "Move, Ron!"

Ron quickly pulled out his own wand. "What's with you?"

"You're being irritable because I sent a letter! That's a good enough reason!" she was on the verge of tears now. Her stress was getting the better of her.

"We just want to make sure you're okay, Harry," Hermione said, also almost crying.

"I'm alright, okay?" Jamie said, lowering her wand and turning away to wipe her eyes. She was kicking herself mentally. It had only been a couple days and she was already being questioned.

"If there's anything you want to tell us, we're here," Hermione reassured Jamie. Jamie nodded.

"I just need some time alone right now," she said, walking to the door and ushering Ron aside. Ron stepped to the right and Jamie went through the door.

The first day of Harry's training, Jessie challenged him to a duel. They went at it for a while until they were completely exhausted. Jessie had done better than Harry, though. The next day, Jessie gave him a book to study with spells to practice. Then today, he would use them in another duel.

"Did you practice them all?" Jessie asked as they were going outside.

"I got most but I couldn't get two of them down. They just weren't working!"

"Did you know any of them beforehand?"

"I knew the Impedimenta one and the Patronus," Harry said proudly.

"You've already learnt a Patronus?! Wow," Jessie said, impressed.

"Can you conjure one?"

"Yes, but I've just learnt! What shape does yours take?"

"Stag, you?"

"Panther," she finished, drawing her wand and preparing for the duel.

Harry drew out his wand and they dueled with newfound velocity. The new spells were much more powerful. Jessie still came out better, but Harry wasn't a sore loser. He understood that she was his teacher and he wasn't expected to surpass her.

"You did very well today, Harry," she said smiling while she was cooking.

"Thanks. You're real good too – I don't think I can ever beat you!"

"Nonsense. I've taught a few wizards, but you've progressed magnificently. You're the best, definitely. Soon you're going to be my teacher," she joked.

"Thanks, Jessie. Hey, look! Hedwig!" Hedwig had just landed outside the window.

"Uh oh, Jamie's having trouble being me!" he said, after reading the first paragraph. "She's girly and a lot better than me at chess and potions, apparently."

"You should have spent more time telling her about yourself. One night is not enough!"

Harry nodded and kept reading. "Crap! I didn't tell her about Malfoy! We hate each other, like born enemies or something. She thinks we might be friends!"

"Told you so," Jessie said teasingly.

Harry read the last of the letter. He grabbed his own quill and parchment and wrote in green ink:

_Dear Jamie,_

_Sorry to hear that, really, but I suppose one night wasn't enough for me to tell you much. _

_I'm not that bad at potions! I just skip a little step by accident and Snape vanishes my potion! I'd watch out for him if I were you. Did you actually beat Ron at chess?! I didn't know that was possible!_

_You just have to tap the Marauder's Map and say, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good" to open it and tap it again and say, "Mischief managed" when you're done. Draco Malfoy is NOT my friend. He is literally my worst enemy. _

_Now that you can activate the Marauder's Map, It'll show you where Dumbledore's office is. To get in, you'll see a great gargoyle. You have to tell it the password – any random sweet. It has been Sherbet Lemon, Cockroach Cluster, and things like that. Talk to him about either letting Hermione and Ron know or letting you be you sometimes. He'll figure something out._

_You can do it!_

_Harry_

It took him a while to write it. He was finished his dinner before the letter. But finally, he sent Hedwig out again.

"Do you think she'll blow it for you?" Jessie asked, worried.

"I don't think so. Dumbledore can fix anything. But by the sounds of it, I've changed a lot during the summer," he smiled and Jessie laughed.

"I'm going to have bath, Harry. Read any spell book. Today, I knew what was coming, but now you can surprise me."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six – Forgive, not Forget 

"Can we sit here?" Hermione asked the next day at breakfast, where Jamie was sitting. Her and Ron gave Jamie her space the day before.

"Sure," Jamie replied, smiling. She couldn't be mad forever!

"When are Quidditch tryouts, Harry?" Ron asked.

"What? Crap! I forgot about that," she said truthfully. Harry had been made Quidditch captain. "As soon as possible, um, maybe this weekend."

"I've practiced during summer – I think I've just about gotten over my nerves," Ron said, ears going red with embarrassment.

They ate silently while the post arrived. Hedwig came with Harry's letter and a school owl came with a package of sweets from Mrs. Jones. Jamie choked on her bagel. Why did her mom always insist on sending her things?

"Who are the sweets from?" asked Ron, eyeing the candy excitedly.

"I got them for you two… Ordered them, you know. To say sorry for the way I've been acting," she made up slowly. She took the card from her mother inconspicuously and put it in her pocket.

"Wow, thanks, Harry!" Ron said, picking through the candy toward the chocolate frogs.

"You didn't have to do that, Harry…" Hermione said.

"You guys take care of all that, I need to go to the washroom," Jamie said, picking up Harry's letter and leaving the Great Hall.

She read the letter in the bathroom. She smiled after reading it. She could activate the Marauder's Map and get into Dumbledore's office. Things were already feeling better to her.

"Harry?" Ron had come to get her.

"Coming," Jamie left the bathroom and went to classes with Ron. She decided to go to Dumbledore's that night after classes. Luckily, there wasn't any DADA that day.

"I'll see you guys in the common room, I have to go see Dumbledore for a minute," Jamie said after supper. Ron and Hermione nodded.

After trying to get the gargoyle to move many times to no avail, Jamie started to search for another teacher to help her. She found Snape not even a corridor away.

"Professor!" she called.

"Mr. Potter," he said sinisterly.

"Do you know the password to Dumbledore's office? I must see him."

"Why must you see the headmaster so urgently?"

"It's private, sir," she said, losing her patience.

"I was heading to see the headmaster myself. Allow me to join you. Chiclets," he said at the gargoyle. Jamie's jaw dropped. She thought of Chiclets many times, but she thought it had to be wizard candy.

She followed Snape up the staircase and into the headmaster's office. "Professor Dumbledore," Snape greeted.

"Good evening Severus, Harry," Dumbledore greeted back. "Take a seat," he indicated two comfortable armchairs he just conjured by his desk.

"Thank you, sir," Jamie said politely, sitting down. Snape simply sat.

"How may I help you this evening?" Dumbledore asked nicely.

Snape looked at Jamie, willing her to go first. "I'd rather speak to you in private, Professor." Jamie said.

Dumbledore looked at Snape, who said, "I suppose this can wait until morning, sir. Goodnight." And left.

"So, Jamie, what is the matter?"

"Professor, I don't think I can do this!" Jamie started. Then she told him about her being girly, her friends' suspicions and her wanting to be herself for a little bit. He didn't interrupt once. When she was finished, Dumbledore sat, thinking, for a couple of minutes. After a while he said:

"You can be yourself after classes on certain days. I can send letters saying that Harry shall meet me for special classes that your friends can verify. Then, you can be Jamie again."

"That's a good idea, sir, but there's one problem. Don't you think Hermione will notice that I'm only around when Harry isn't?"

"If you'd like, you can be yourself other times that won't arouse suspicion. I give you the liberty to do so."

That night, Dumbledore went to the Jones' house by floo powder to pick up Jamie's belongings. He taught her how to change her voice and how to copy Harry's scar herself. The spells were fairly advanced, so it took a while. After learning all that, she shrunk her personal effects to hide them and went to the common room as Harry.

"Hey, Harry," Ron said as she entered the common room.

"That was a long minute," Hermione said. She was smiling, so Jamie knew she was joking.

"Are you finished the Herbology essay?" Jamie asked Ron. He was working on it by the fireplace.

"Not yet," he said, "take yours out – two heads are better than one, and my head's just about none!" Jamie laughed.

They did most of their homework that night, Jamie telling them about classes with Dumbledore. She also made up that there was a girl that he was teaching too. Someone who had been kept away from magic even though she was a witch, so Dumbledore was teaching her what she needed to know.

"What's her name?" Hermione asked.

"I'm not sure," Jamie lied, "Something like Jessie or Janie or something… But he can't teach us both as the same time, so you might see her around when I'm there."

"Try and get her to come to Gryffindor Tower – we only have three sixth year girls!" Ron said.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Hermione said reproachfully.

"Well you've got Krum and I don't think Parvati likes me or Harry, considering the Yule Ball. That only leaves one girl, Lavender, but she's best friends with Parvati so I don't think either of us would have a chance," Ron explained.

Hermione sighed. Jamie was trying hard to keep in her fit of giggles.

"Yes, Ron, I'm sure she'll fall madly in love with you once she sees you!" Jamie teased.

"So you think you can win her over, then? Mind you, I'll be seeing her much more often," Ron said. "I'll bet you a Sickle that you can't win her over!"

"What happens if she falls for someone other than either of us?" Jamie asked, Malfoy in mind.

"Then I win." Ron said simply.

"You don't know her and you're already planning on winning her over. Desperate much?" Jamie said, trying to sound as boy-like as she can.

"Have you seen her? Was she in Dumbledore's office?" Hermione cut in.

"No, she wasn't there, she's coming Friday. Dumbledore scheduled me a lesson then so that she could explore on her first day. He really seems to want to fit in as many lessons as he can, without waste!" Jamie said.

Jamie was proud of herself when she went to bed that night. Ron bought it right away – she could have said, "I'm going to a class and this girl is going to appear" and he would have bought it – and Hermione seemed lightly convinced.

In the morning, Jamie got up first and went to have a shower. She got up pretty early, so she wasn't worried about being walked in on. When she was in the shower, she turned back into herself. She loved washing her long hair mostly.

She was rinsing her hair when she heard banging on the door. "Harry! Lemme in I need to go to the bathroom!" Ron said.

Jamie made sure the curtains were completely concealing and said; "If you must, but hurry up!" she closed her eyes and let the water fall down her back. She was completely relaxed.

"Since when do you wake up this early?" Ron asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Bad dream," she made up.

"Again? Wow," he yawned and went to the toilet, unconsciously looking at the curtains. He saw a blurry shadow, but he could see long hair. "Harry?!"

Jamie snapped her eyes open, saw Ron's shadow and turned back into Harry. "What?"

"I thought I just saw…" he looked back at the figure with short hair now. "I think I need glasses!"

"Why?" Jamie asked, trying to make it seem like nothing had happened.

"You looked like you had long hair," he said, "I think I'm still half-asleep, though."

Jamie didn't say anything. 'That was a close one!' she thought. Ron finished what he was doing and left.

Jamie came out of the shower, wrapped a towel around her – she looked like she was wearing a dress – and went to go outside. Then she realized guys wear towels around their midriff. She sighed and put the towel lower. To make her situation feel less awkward, she picked up her pajamas and held them high to cover her chest.

She went into the dormitory and quickly went to her bed and closed the curtains. She got dressed into her robes and swore she wouldn't do that ever again. She couldn't wait 'till Friday.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven – True Friendship**

"Hey, Harry," Hermione greeted at the breakfast table that morning. Jamie came down alone, seeing as Ron already came down with Hermione.

"Hey guys." She mumbled. Defense Against the Dark Arts was the first class.

"I heard that Ron needed glasses this morning." Hermione said, ready to burst out laughing.

"I don't even know what that was about," Jamie lied, starting to eat pancakes.

"I was half-asleep… I guess I couldn't see properly." Ron said.

"Are you getting a fever? Hallucinations aren't good news." Hermione asked, smiling.

"Speaking of news," Jamie said, watching the post being delivered. Hermione had gotten her Daily Prophet and Jamie got another package from her mom and a letter with proper handwriting.

"Who sent you a book?" Ron said, feeling the package on the table.

"My – uh – friend," she almost said 'My mom'. She put the package in her robe pocket.

"You met someone at home?" Ron asked.

"Just a friend – I met her a couple years ago at school… But she moved away and we're like pen pals." She said, describing herself in Harry's eyes.

"Her? You never told us about anyone!"

"You didn't ask," she said simply, "What's this?" she added, picking up the letter. She opened it and read it out loud. "Our guest, Jamie, will be arriving Friday, as I've told you. After dinner, please come to my office for your own classes. If it isn't too much trouble, could you stay all weekend? I have so much planned and we must get as much done as possible. Signed, Albus Dumbledore."

"All weekend?" Ron repeated. "I'm going to win the bet, Harry! I have the whole weekend to see her!"

"Sure you will, Ron," Hermione rolled her eyes.

Jamie laughed. A little packet of Chiclets fell out of the envelope. "I think I know what the password is!"

"What are those?" Ron asked, inspecting the little box.

"It's gum… I'll show you later, we have to go to class."

The trio stood up and headed toward the DADA class together, Jamie filling more and more with dread every step. She was heading toward her worst subject, disguised as the most Outstanding DADA student.

Upon entering the classroom, her nerves became nausea. She started to feel lightheaded and queasy. Hermione noticed the blanching face of her friend.

"Harry, are you okay?"

"I don't feel good…" Jamie replied, clutching her head.

"Is it your scar? Maybe you should go see Madam Pomfrey or Dumbledore even." Ron suggested, worried. Jamie nodded and went outside, heading toward the Hospital Wing.

"Madam Pomfrey?" she called in the hospital wing.

"Potter! Why aren't you in class?" she scolded from her office. Getting up and approaching, she noticed the bad condition of her patient. "Sit down."

"I think I just need a fever relief potion," she muttered.

"I was thinking the same thing, here," the matron said, thrusting the potion into her hands. Jamie felt instantly better physically and mentally upon swallowing, seeing as she didn't need to return to DADA. She thanked the nurse and headed toward her next class; Potions.

She ended up waiting for a while in the dungeons, but she passed the time by reading her potions book. She was so interested, she hadn't realized the bell had rung and Hermione and Ron were coming.

"Harry? Are you feeling better?" Hermione asked. Jamie finally looked up, surprised and shoved the book back in Harry's bag.

"Yea, I was just starting a fever. I'm alright now, I went to the hospital wing."

"Were you reading your potions' book?" Ron asked disbelievingly.

"Nothing else to do," Jamie shrugged and went into class, again angry with herself for being so un-Harry-like. To make it up, she reluctantly skipped the third step – adding a vital ingredient – and cringed when her potion turned a sickening green color.

"Potter." The drawling voice of the Potions professor rang through the room, silencing all the students. "Can you tell me what is wrong with your potion?"

"I forgot my powdered salamander tail." She said, pretending to examine the steps on the blackboard.

"Then this potion is no longer functional."

"It can be," she whispered, angry with this teacher.

"Pardon me?" Snape asked threateningly. "Powdered salamander tail is the key element in this potion. It's useless without it."

Gathering up her courage, she spat, "It's now the making of this potion." She turned a couple pages in her book and pushed it toward Snape. His eyes narrowed and he leaned down to whisper:

"Be that as it may, but the assignment was to make a Dreamless Sleep potion. 10 points from Gryffindor." He said, vanishing the potion.

"Wow, Harry, I never realized…" Hermione said, looking at Jamie's open book. Jamie just grunted and rested her head on the table.

In the hallway, to escape Hermione's constant "why didn't you tell me" or "that's incredible!" comments, Jamie slipped into the boy's room and decided to open her package. After ripping off the paper, she discovered a little dark green diary with a nice white quill. She put the diary back in her pocket, smiling as she went to the Great Hall for lunch.

When she sat at the Gryffindor table at lunchtime, Hermione and Ron were already there. They stopped talking when she sat down.

"Where were you?" Hermione asked Jamie.

"Bathroom," she answered, starting to eat a sandwich.

"You really told off Snape back there! That was awesome!" Ron exclaimed.

"Thanks…" she said, sipping her juice. She started to cough. "What kind of drink is that?!" she sniffed the juice. "Did you see anyone put something in my drink? Then again, how would anyone know I'm sitting here?" she asked suspiciously.

"Ron! What…?"

"You put something in my drink!" Jamie picked up her goblet and stormed out of the Hall, sitting hidden behind a suit of armor. She waved her wand over the contaminated juice and extracted the potion, putting it into a vial from her Potions' kit. Leaving the cup there, she went to the library to find out what she held in her hand.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To Harry's horror, Jessie was instructed to teach him Occlumency.

"I've tried it, and I didn't do very well…" Harry told Jessie.

"Really? Who taught you?"

"Snape."

"Well maybe I'm a better Occlumency teacher. You never know."

Harry nodded and tried to clear his mind. Memories of past Occlumency came up and he started to feel anxiety. Then, memories of Sirius pushed him to work harder.

"Take a deep breath, Harry. It's okay if you don't get it right the first time, there's no hurry," she encouraged. Harry nodded.

"Legilimens!" Jessie cast. And then started the long path of Occlumency.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After long hours in the library during lunch and dinner of two consecutive days, Jamie finally found out what the potion was - the antidote for Polyjuice Potion. Surprised and somewhat impressed, she went back to the common room.

"Polyjuice Potion?" she said ferociously, slamming the vial on the chessboard Ron and Hermione were playing on. Leaving the two Gryffindors gaping, she went upstairs and lay in bed. She pulled the diary out of her pillow and started to write:

_Dear Diary,_

_Ron thinks I'm using Polyjuice Potion. Great, more suspicion. He's thinking of anything and everything… It'll be only a matter of time before he finds some kind of morph-reversal spell or something. But to be so worried and determined for Harry… That's true friendship. I'm happy Harry has friends like these… I don't think I could ever be that close._

_Too bad the Draco Malfoy guy is Harry's enemy - he's really cute! He may be an arrogant little … yea… but maybe a nice girl is all he needs to straighten up. (Insert smiley face here). _

_Maybe if I drink a bad potion, I'll be unconscious or in quarantine for a while… give me some time in peace. Oh well. Tomorrow's Friday! Yay!_

_Jamie_

With an extra curl in her signature, she stuffed the diary in her pillow and sealed the pillow. Smiling, she plopped her head down and fell asleep instantly, long study hours getting the better of her.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight – TGIF**

"I can't believe it! Where on Earth did you get such a complicated potion?" Hermione marveled after her friend's sudden outburst.

"Fred," Ron muttered guiltily, picking up the chess pieces that fell to the floor.

"Impressive… But you can't just spike Harry's drink! And if anything was going on Dumbledore would know, I'm sure."

"Well at least I know nobody kidnapped Harry and is shaving his head for potion. At least I can't say that a stranger is sleeping in my dorm..."

"Ha. Ha. Very funny."

Ron put away the chessboard and went into his own bed, glaring at the gently rising figure that was supposedly his best friend.

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Jamie woke up early purely out of excitement and couldn't go back to sleep. She got dressed quickly and put on Harry's watch indicating it was just past seven o'clock and went down to the Great Hall alone.

There wasn't any food on the plates yet but there were still a couple people there. There were some kids from younger years, perhaps a couple first-year Hufflepuffs and third-year Ravenclaws barely speckling the Hall, and Jamie recognized Malfoy, Hermione and Professor Snape, each sitting alone at their respectful tables.

Jamie sighed and sat as far away as possible as Hermione (because she knew she'd probably have to talk and she didn't particularly feel like it) and ended up nearest the teachers' table. She pulled out her Potions' book out of her bag and started reading intently.

"So, Harry, it's Friday today," Hermione came and sat across from Jamie.

"I know."

"Looking forward to tonight?"

Jamie shrugged.

Hermione laughed. "Reading your Potions' book again?"

"Yea… It's the only book I had access to this summer, and it's pretty interesting." Jamie made up quietly.

"Maybe Ron should go without anything but a schoolbook this summer, he might learn something for a change!"

"We'll have to mention that to Mrs. Weasley," Jamie said, laughing. Her inner voice rolled its eyes. 'I forgive too fast.'

After breakfast including a very tired-looking Ron, they headed to Transfiguration. She was so excited! She just couldn't pay attention – everything went in one ear and out the other.

And finally, after a disastrous Charms class including an inch-high Flitwick and a 10-foot-high Neville thanks to shrinking and growing charms that went off-target, it was suppertime.

"Bloody hell, Harry! That was brilliant! Mind you, Neville almost fell on me when he tripped, but it was bloody brilliant!" Ron exclaimed.

"At least I can do the spells… I just have to worry about my aim."

After an excruciatingly long dinner, Jamie finally got to head to Dumbledore's office, convincing Ron and Hermione to wait in the common room.

"Chiclets," she told the gargoyle.

"Ah, Mr. Potter, come in," Dumbledore greeted. Snape was there too.

"This is when I was supposed to come, isn't it?" Jamie asked, eyeing Snape suspiciously.

"Don't worry. I'm leaving." Snape said coldly and left.

"I've heard that Harry Potter has changed quite a bit over the summer." Dumbledore said, smiling, twinkle present in his eye.

"Yea, he only had access to his Potions' book during the summer and has been reading it ever since," Jamie responded shyly, looking at her fingers, now feminine with nice nails. Jamie was Jamie again.

"May I ask why you've been in the library constantly in the past week?"

"Ron put a potion in my drink a few days ago… I wanted to find out what it was." She replied, looking anywhere but the Headmaster.

"And, what was it?"

"The antidote for Polyjuice Potion," she said, finally looking at Dumbledore. "Completely flawless, too!"

The old wizard just nodded and said, "Some of your possessions have been flooed here by your mother. I hope everything works out."

Jamie gathered all her things and changed in the bathroom. She admired her body, her dirty blond hair and even her hazel eyes in the mirror, deciding never to take her appearance for granted again. She liked how her jeans caressed her body instead of hanging there, loose and baggy, and how her shirt was long and camo green instead of Harry's overlarge gray shirts he got from Dudley.

Carefully and softly, she entered the Gryffindor common room. The very _crowded_ Gryffindor common room. Luckily, she spotted Hermione and Ron doing homework nearby.

Remembering that she _has never met them_, she tapped on Ron's shoulder and said, "Excuse me, but are your names Hermione and Ron?"

"Yes, we are, you must be Jamie," Hermione greeted warmly. Ron just waved while smiling a goofy smile. Jamie took the seat offered to her.

"Harry told me to see you guys first," Jamie said warily.

"Yep, it's no problem. So… tell us a bit about yourself." Ron said.

"Well, I'm 16, and I was going to a muggle school before. I just live with my mom, a muggle, and I just found out I'm a witch, so it's very strange to me." She was just bending the truth a little; no need to lie completely.

"How did you find out?" Ron asked.

"Made a few disappearing acts and got back at my enemies accidentally, so when Dumbledore came to talk to me I believed him completely. Too bad I go on vacation every summer and leave my friend behind to pick up the mail. She's so unreliable, only keeps bills and stuff."

"You go on vacation the entire summer?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, all my mum's relatives live in Canada, so we go there to visit all summer every summer. It's the only time we see them, not that Mum has that many siblings, but it's still nice."

"Are we the only people you know at Hogwarts, then?" Ron asked.

"So far, yep. I haven't even seen anyone else in the corridors."

"Well I'm sure you'll see lots of people tomorrow at breakfast," Hermione said cheerily.

"Where will I stay tonight?" Jamie asked.

"You want me to show you my dormitory? There's plenty of room – we're only three girls." Hermione suggested.

"Do you like chess? We can play a quick game if you'd like before going upstairs." Ron offered.

"It's a little late… Maybe another time, Ron," Jamie said with a nice smile.

Hermione led Jamie up to the dormitory, where the scent of nail polish and scented bubble bath was overpowering. There were magazines strewn on the floor and Lavender and Parvati were reading some on one of the beds.

"Hermione, we were wondering when you'd show, you missed some great celeb news, and this is Jamie, right, welcome to the best dormitory you'll see anywhere!" Lavender said in one breath.

"I'm Parvati, and these are my three best friends: Lavender, Hermione – you met her of course – and Twist magazine!" she said, holding up and fawning over the newest edition of Twist magazine with Panic! At The Disco on the cover.

"Panic! At The Disco! Oh. My. Gawd. I haven't gotten this issue!" Jamie exclaimed. These girls were a little like her friends, but hers laughed more and made better jokes.

"What bubble bath did you use?" Hermione asked, smelling the air.

"I really needed green tea today, trust me! It was an emergency!" Lavender explained.

"Oh no, what happened?" both Hermione and Jamie asked. They both sat on the nearest bed and talked 'till pretty late that night before they all decided to actually sleep in their sleeping bags just for fun like a sleepover. Jamie didn't want to be Harry in only two days.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine – Fisticuffs  
**All four girls woke up relatively late the next morning, considering how late they assumed they stayed up until, but none as late as Jamie had.

"Jamie, come on, wake up, lunch time," Hermione said, shaking Jamie awake.

"If I m-m-m-must," she yawned, stretching so much some cracks could be heard and got up and quickly got dressed, still yawning as she followed Hermione through the common room and led her all the way to the Great Hall. The hike gave her enough time to compose herself. She also decided to talk to Hermione about her being Harry. She couldn't handle all the secrets anymore; at least not with Hermione.

"Err, Hermione? Can I talk to you?"

"Of course you can. What is it?" Hermione may have had some suspicions at first, but since last night she definitely knew Jamie was Jamie.

"I'm a… Metamorphmagus."

"I once knew someone who… Wait! Harry!" Hermione realized.

"I'll tell you all about it later or you can talk to Dumbledore about it but can I be myself in peace? Please? I just really don't think I can do this without someone to talk to…"

Hermione nodded, surprised at the sudden confession.

Ron waved them over at lunch. Jamie smiled at how happy Ron looked to see her and she thought about the bet. Ron was going to win no matter what – she couldn't be 'won over' by Harry, now could she? But Ron had given himself great chances to win.

He introduced her to a lot of other Gryffindors. She suspected he'd told them all about the bet. But she didn't mind. She only had one guy in mind and he wasn't in Gryffindor. Draco Malfoy was looking at her, probably wondering who she was. That was confirmed to Jamie when he inconspicuously followed her out of the Great Hall when she left alone to the bathroom.

She jumped when she almost ran into him coming out. "H-hi!"

"Hello. Who are you?" Malfoy asked curiously.

"I'm Jamie Jones," she smiled and offered her hand.

He shook it politely. "I'm Draco Malfoy. Are you a Gryffindor?"

"No, I haven't gotten a house yet. I don't even know if I will. I can hang out with anyone I want to, I suppose."

"Want to come meet some Slytherins?"

She smiled happily. "Sure!"

They went outside, where the other Slytherin sixth-years were hanging out.

"Guys, this is Jamie." He announced.

"Ooooooooh are you the new girl everyone's talking about? You HAVE to hang out with us, it's the only way to go!" Pansy said, pulling her down to sit with their group. She was suddenly glad she'd worn her green shirt and started to like the Slytherins more and more. Whether they were accepting her just because of Draco earlier of not, they genuinely accepted her now.

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Ron and Hermione were walking back from the common room in search of Jamie. They hadn't seen her since lunch, Hermione was worried and Ron really wanted to see her. She wasn't in Gryffindor Tower at all, so they headed back downstairs to find her.

What a shock they had gotten when they saw her laughing and talking with the Slytherins, as if she and Pansy were best friends. Hermione couldn't see how she could do that in her position and Ron was jealous of Malfoy, who was sitting beside Jamie and looking at her… seductively?

Ron stomped over, Hermione not detaining him. She was looking at Jamie, arms crossed and eyebrows raised.

As soon as Ron arrived, all the Slytherins looked at him in disgust and Jamie rolled her eyes. Malfoy got up. "Something on your mind, Weasel?"

"I wanted to talk to Jamie." He growled.

"She doesn't want to see you. She has friends, unlike you."

Jamie didn't even feel like stepping in. She didn't mind – she was having a blast, and Ron didn't prove very entertaining. Even the Slytherin rumor mill was fuller and more exciting.

"Jamie, can I talk to you?" Ron asked around Malfoy's shoulder.

"You already are."

Ron frowned and pushed Malfoy away when he blocked his view. In a second, Malfoy threw a punch and they started fighting with their fists, feet and even teeth. Both Hermione and Jamie raised their wands and froze one of the contenders. Well, Hermione froze Malfoy with a body-bind, but Jamie actually stunned Ron.

"Jamie!" Hermione gasped.

"He could've left when Draco told him to, but noooooo, he just had to stay and start a fight! Now, unfreeze him and you can go on with your pathetic lives." Jamie retorted, angry about everything that had just happened.

Hermione woke Ron up and replied, "No. I won't unfreeze him. He'll just have to stay there." She then walked away, pulling a dazed Ron behind her.

Malfoy, fully conscious but unable to move, felt like making certain peoples' lives like hell. Starting with the Mudblood know-it-all Granger, he thought.

"Anyone know the counter-spell?" Jamie demanded of the Slytherins. Unfortunately, the only one there that did know was the one that couldn't talk. "I'll be right back, then." She sighed.

She ran all-out to the library, losing Gryffindor 15 points as she claimed to be one. She found the book in record time and lost another 5 points heading back. She was happy about that.

"It's in there, the librarian told me." She panted. Pansy looked it up while Jamie lay on the grass. Blaise was the one who found it, being the smarter one and looking up different letters in the index, not just P for 'Petrificus Totalus'. He was also the one who performed the spell.

Malfoy got up with Goyle's help and starting ranting and cursing about Hermione. Then he took it out on his thugs, reprimanding them for not knowing the simple spell. Jamie cringed when he turned to her.

"AND YOU!" she jumped. "You're the only one that would think of going to the library in this sad group! You really are something." He smiled an actual smile, not a smirk, and calmed down. Jamie could feel herself blushing at the compliment.

Pansy, who wasn't reprimanded or complimented, smiled at Jamie like a friend would. What would she have done if Jamie hadn't been there? She didn't even realize it was really Jamie's fault that Ron had come over in the first place, or even Draco's for inviting her.

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"Hermione, where are we going?" Ron had to almost jog to keep up with her. She was fuming.

"We're going to see Dumbledore!" Hermione said, enraged and running.

"Why? We're not _telling on Malfoy, _are we?"

"No, we're… telling on Jamie."

"What for? She didn't do anything!"

Hermione rolled her eyes. It was Fleur Delacour all over again. "She was hanging around with Slytherins. She stunned you to get you off of Malfoy!"

"Hey, we get to see Harry!" Ron said suddenly.

Hermione was in front of the stone gargoyle and bit her lip. No, they wouldn't see Harry. They hadn't in a while, whether anyone thought so or not.

"Chiclets," Hermione said, remembering the little packet of the little pieces of gum in her pocket and sighing. Jamie could have been such a good friend…

Dumbledore was sitting at his desk, poring over papers when the two students burst in.

Hermione was the first to speak. "Professor Dumbledore, we really have to talk to you about… Jamie."


End file.
